not ridden my Fuel Ex for a while as my clown bike has been taking preference. Was going to use it in the morning but the bottom bracket has gone really stiff. is it worth trying to salvage it or should I just buy a new one (it is over 3 years old)

if so, what would people recommend? without remortgaging that is

Ride it first, you should find it will free up pretty quick, no need to replace it untill it develops play but it is on its way out.

Bb for the your bike is around thirty notes (assuming howitzer bb).
It has to be worth opening up the bearing and applying some grease.

My bb seized around 10 months ago whilst away for a weekend. I took the risk of removing the sealed bearing covers, washing out the rust and packing it out with grease. Still fine today.

think it a std hollowtech 2 BB – XT/SLX is only 25 quid, so may upgrade to one of those if it doesn’t loosen up then.

cheers